This invention relates generally to vehicle racks, and more specifically to universal rear-mounted vehicle racks normally used for hauling sports equipment such as bicycles, snowboards, skis, surfboards etc., especially bicycles.
There are many types of rear-mounted vehicle racks available in the prior art, as are represented generally by U.S. Pat. No. 3,610,658 to Sartori; U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,904 to Van Dusen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,971 to Despain; U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,966 to Mehls; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,451 to Lassanske et al.
Many such prior-art vehicle rear-mounted utility racks are not well balanced, with the weights of carried objects causing excessive bounce. Similarly, some of such racks and their cargo extend so far rearwardly that they present a hazard and, in some cases, even violate local codes. Further, it is difficult to mount multiple items, such as bicycles, on some prior-art vehicle rear-mounted utility racks. Similarly, some such racks allow multiple items mounted thereon to make undue contact, and possibly damage, one another. Conversely, some prior-art vehicle rear-mounted utility racks do not allow mounting of multiple items thereon at all.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a vehicle rear-mount equipment rack that is relatively well balanced, does not extend unduly to the rear, allows relatively easy mounting of multiple items while minimizing contact between them and is not unduly complicated in structure.
According to principles of this invention, a vehicle equipment rack for being removably attached to a rear hitch of a vehicle includes at least one carrier having a generally question-mark shape, the carrier including a substantially-vertical rigid carrier post assembly with a rigid extension arm connected to the carrier post assembly extending first toward the rear of the vehicle and then outwardly away from the rear of the vehicle to an outer end portion of the extension arm, where there is an attachment assembly connected to an outer free end of the extension arm.
In an embodiment with only one carrier, the carrier post assembly is divided into three separate posts, an upper post, a middle post, and a lower post, with the upper and lower posts inter-engaging with (telescoping and bolted with) the middle post, and the lower post being mounted on the hitch member. The lower post is attached to the hitch member in such a way that it can be selectively rotated thereon. The upper post can be formed as one member with the rigid extension arm and the lower post can include lateral plates for straddling and being attached to the hitch member.
In another embodiment with multiple carriers, the carrier post assembly of each carrier is rigidly linked to a laterally-extending cross bar that has a common post assembly for rigidly linking the multiple carriers to the hitch member. Thus, in this embodiment, at least one of the carriers is attached to the laterally-extending cross bar at a point laterally displaced from the hitch member. In one such embodiment the laterally-extending cross bar extends diagonal to the horizontal so that one of the multiple carriers is positioned lower than another. In each of the multiple-carrier embodiments described herein, there are upper and lower laterally-extending cross bars to form a cross bar set.
In an embodiment having three carriers rigidly attached to one cross bar set, each laterally-extending cross bar of the cross bar set forms a V-shape when mounted on a vehicle and viewed in elevation from the rear of the vehicle.